Neighbors: News from the beaches ...
It's not quite a British invasion of St. Augustine, although there are a large number of Brits, estimated to be upward of 800, who now call the area home.

Self help
Note: For further information on Al-Anon and Alateen groups, call 1-800-508-2512. For further information on AA meetings, call 829-1737.

Column of the day
Q: What has happened to sheer "footies" for summer wear with closed shoes? An acquaintance, visiting from Florida, showed me a pair that covered only the front of her foot with a padded sole. Are these available elsewhere? - H.M., email

Club calendar
The German-American Club will host a dinner/dance Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m. at the clubhouse, State Road 16. This will be Italian Night, featuring spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and salad, topped off with an Italian-style dessert.

'Save the Ponce,' induction SAR highlights
Members and guests of the St. Augustine Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, were brought up to speed on efforts to preserve the historic Ponce de Leon golf course and other parts of the Ponce de Leon Resort and its environs at its May meeting by Lea Meadows, secretary of the "Save the Ponce'' team effort.

'Hairspray' wins 8 Tony Awards
NEW YORK -- "Hairspray" took firm hold of the 2003 Tony Awards Sunday, winning eight, including best musical and prizes for its full-figured stars, Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur. "Take Me Out," Richard Greenberg's drama about a gay baseball player, was named best play.

People: Clarkson and Guarini say movies are a breeze
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, the winner and first runner-up of last year's "American Idol," said making their first film "From Justin to Kelly" was easy compared to the long hours and hard work they put into performing in the Fox talent competition that made them famous.

People: Davis talks about childhood in Newsweek essay
NEW YORK -- Patti Davis, daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, ruminates on her years as a petulant child -- and how she's come to appreciate her father's guidance as she's grown older -- in a Father's Day essay for Newsweek.

Health officials in three states battling monkeypox
CHICAGO (AP) -- Federal health officials investigating an outbreak of monkeypox that apparently spread from pet prairie dogs to people in three Midwestern states said Monday the number of possible cases has risen to at least 33.

Dr. Donohue: Sleeping sickness or fatigue?
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a 64-year-old male and take no medicine. Is there such a thing as sleeping sickness? I get six to eight hours of sleep each night. By noon I am sleepy, and again in the evening. What can I do? -- C.D.

Letter: American ignorance
Editor: The ignorance of the American people about Iraq is profound, and the editorial in The St. Augustine Record on April 20 only deepens it. The editorial writer has it that "Perhaps by this time next year, the war-torn streets of Baghdad will be transformed and peaceful celebrations of Easter and of Passover will be the norm as they are in communities around the United States."

Treasures of Nimrud found in Iraqi vault
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The world-famous treasures of Nimrud, unaccounted for since Baghdad fell two months ago, have been located in good condition in the country's Central Bank -- in a secret vault-inside-a-vault submerged in sewage water, U.S. occupation authorities said Saturday.

Boater dies in crash with dock
A boater died Sunday night after a collision with a private dock in the Intracoastal Waterway near Marineland, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Jax. lumber company begins shipping to Cuba
JACKSONVILLE (AP) -- A lumber company will begin shipments to Cuba this month, becoming the first American company to sell wood to the communist nation since 1958, company officials said Monday.

City Commission pay raise passes
St. Augustine Mayor George Gardner said he didn't want the money, but his colleagues on the City Commission raised his annual salary anyway Monday night from $12,000 to $16,000, as recommended by staff.

Tapestry heading overseas
St. Augustine is extending hands across the sea in friendship through a project created by members of the Textile Arts Guild of St. Augustine.

Four Jacksonville boys sentenced for attack
JACKSONVILLE -- Four boys who pleaded guilty to assaulting a 12-year-old girl in a middle school bathroom were ordered Monday to serve sentences in a state facility by Circuit Judge Peter Fryefield.

Budget pushes the state's debt beyond ceiling
TALLAHASSEE -- The $600 million in bonds in next year's budget for reducing class size will push the state's debt further above the target limit set by law, but Gov. Jeb Bush said there's no immediate cause for alarm.

Aline Kopf
Aline Kopf, 94, of St. Augustine, died June 7, 2003, at Flagler Hospital. A native of Keegan, Maine, she had resided in St. Augustine for most of her life. She owned and operated a motel. She was a former member of the Flagler Hospital Auxiliary and a member of San Sebastian Catholic Church.

Edwin George Menard
Edwin George Menard passed away Wednesday evening, June 4, 2003, as the result of a traffic accident near his home in Florida. He was born July 29, 1929 in Buffalo, N.Y. to Edwin Paul and Anna George Menard. He was married to Wilma Downing in 1951 and they had two children, E. Andrew and Nancy. Wilma passed away in 1988.

John Christopher Dennis
John Christopher Dennis, 80, St Augustine, died June 7, 2003 at his home. He was born in Blountsville, Fla., and had resided in St Augustine since 1960. He was a teacher for the St Johns County School Board in St Augustine and Hastings. He help to establish the horticultural department at the St Augustine Technical Center and the nursery at the Feed Store. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Alpha Mason Amos
Alpha Mason Amos, 87, of St. Augustine, died June 7, 2003, at Flagler Hospital. He was a native of Lexington, Ind., and had resided in St. Augustine since 1989. He was retired from the U.S. Army and a member of English Lodge No. 622, F&AM Past Master, 32 degree Mason, Scottish Rite Bodies, RAM, Scottsburg Chapter, Past Eastern Star, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Margaret Murray Dumas
Margaret Murray Dumas, a descendant of one of the earliest families of southeast Volusia County, died Saturday, June 7, 2003, at her home.

Aline Kopf
Aline Kopf, 94, of St. Augustine, died June 7, 2003, at Flagler Hospital. A native of Keegan, Maine, she had resided in St. Augustine for most of her life. She owned and operated a motel. She was a former member of the Flagler Hospital Auxiliary and a member of San Sebastian Catholic Church.

Mary C. Soman
Mary C. Soman, age 87, of St. Augustine, died June 8, 2003, at the Ponce de Leon Care Center. She was born in Wasson, Ill., and was a longtime resident of Tappan, N.Y. She had resided in St. Augustine for the past year, moving here from Forked River, N.J. Ms. Soman was a retired restaurant owner and operator. She owned and operated the Palms Restaurant and Bar in Palisades Park, N.J., during the 1960s and the Ranch House Restaurant in Sumitville, N.Y. during the 1970s. She was of the Catholic faith.

Perspective: Some shop talk about anonymous sources
Now that we have disposed of Jayson Blair, liar, plagiarist and con-artist, suppose we journalists address a larger problem. It is the problem of Trust-Me Journalism. Newsweek's article of May 26, "The Times Bomb," provides a convenient text.

Letter: Grants questioned
Editor: Over the last five years the National Institutes of Health has seen its budget more than double to $23.1 billion.

Letter: More roads needed
Editor: I am writing to you with the hope that you will share my concerns with your readers about the staggering need for increased transportation infrastructure investment in this country.

Letter: Goodbye, Ponce hotel
Editor: I'm a condo owner in the "Tennis Village" behind the Ponce de Leon Hotel. We're all bracing ourselves for the wrecking crew to knock down the hotel.

Editorial: Around the nation
When the Office of Homeland Security lowered the terrorist alert level on Friday from orange to yellow, there was an extra sigh of relief from municipal leaders around the nation.

Letter: American ignorance
Editor: The ignorance of the American people about Iraq is profound, and the editorial in The St. Augustine Record on April 20 only deepens it. The editorial writer has it that "Perhaps by this time next year, the war-torn streets of Baghdad will be transformed and peaceful celebrations of Easter and of Passover will be the norm as they are in communities around the United States."

Report: Boston Archdiocese to soon announce new archbishop
BOSTON (AP) -- The Archdiocese of Boston is expected to announce a permanent replacement for Cardinal Bernard Law this month, and has already identified locations where the announcement could be made, according to a published report.

Trivia
This duo can't be called dynamic. "Bat-corker" Sammy Sosa isn't the only celebrity whose reputation is taking a beating, much to the delight of a public that loves to see the mighty fall, wrote Greg Cote of The Miami Herald:

Clemens still on track to start Friday
CHICAGO -- Roger Clemens remains on track to make his fourth run at career win No. 300 on Friday, even though he's still bothered by an upper respiratory infection.

ACC commissioner says expansion will move on
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A lawsuit aimed at disrupting the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion won't succeed because the league and schools followed proper guidelines, the ACC commissioner said Sunday.

Sorenstam prevails at LPGA major
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Annika Sorenstam faced this kind of pressure at Colonial, only this time she didn't miss the cut -- she won a major.

Mariners, Phils take two
LOS ANGELES -- Frank Thomas is a much better hitter lately, now that he's become a fielder again.

Ferrero wins French Open in lopsided final
By HOPARIS -- Juan Carlos Ferrero smacked winners while lunging so far he nearly landed in the courtside geraniums. He whipped returns at his opponent's feet, put strokes on the lines and controlled the tempo on nearly every point.

Miami advances to College World Series
CORAL GABLES -- Erick San Pedro's grand slam highlighted a six-run 11th inning as the Miami Hurricanes defeated North Carolina State 11-5 on Sunday to secure a spot in the College World Series.

Stewart wins at Pocono
LONG POND, Pa. -- Tony Stewart was dominant for the third week in a row Sunday, but this time his effort and fast work by his crew carried him to Victory Circle at Pocono Raceway.

Spurs take the third
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - They couldn't score. They couldn't hold onto the ball. All that on a NBA Finals stage where the New Jersey Nets believed they needed to win Sunday's Game 3 to truly establish their championship credentials instead proved fatal.

Winner take all
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Mighty Ducks and Devils have played for two weeks on two coasts in what have often seemed two simultaneous but wildly contrasting Stanley Cup finals.

State report: NASA delays launch of first Mars rover
CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) -- Storms and high wind on Sunday forced NASA to delay launching a rocket carrying the first of a pair of rovers destined for Mars on a mission to search for evidence of water on Earth's neighbor.

Graham says Bush policy makes U.S. 'most questioned' nation
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Bob Graham said Saturday that President Bush's aggressive foreign policy has left America "the most questioned nation in the world" and made it far more difficult to forge an effective battle against terrorism.

Budget pushes the state's debt beyond ceiling
TALLAHASSEE -- The $600 million in bonds in next year's budget for reducing class size will push the state's debt further above the target limit set by law, but Gov. Jeb Bush said there's no immediate cause for alarm.

Florida Lotto jackpot rolls over to $6 million
TALLAHASSEE (AP) -- No ticket matched all six Florida Lotto numbers, causing the current jackpot to roll over to $6 million, lottery officials said Sunday. The winning Florida Lotto numbers selected Saturday: 16-17-19-42-51-53.